How Early Clarity Helped a Critical Minerals Startup Save Millions
Context
Sometimes success means building a pilot. Other times, it means realizing you shouldn’t (at least not yet). When the investor for a next generation materials startup put them in touch with Next Rung to help translate their lab results into a real facility design, the results weren’t necessarily what they expected. However, it ended up putting them on a more strategic path to success.
Working with a fast-approaching deadline, our team developed a full FEL-1 engineering package that revealed what it would actually take to build the pilot with a result multiple times over what the client expected.
Instead of being a setback, that discovery became a turning point. By grounding decisions in data, the client avoided a costly misstep and pivoted toward a leaner, smarter validation strategy.
Process
The Challenge
The client had a bold concept in place: secure a critical mineral supply without mining.
Their small , hardworking team had proven the concept in the lab and were eager to scale up. Investors were interested, a site was on the horizon, and there was just one question left: how much will this actually cost and how do we get started? Like many early-stage founders, the client faced intense pressure to move fast—they needed to make a decision on a potential leasing space, hit milestones, and show progress. They had a rough budget in mind and a narrow window to lock in numbers before upcoming investor discussions. However, scaling FOAK (first-of-a-kind) processes is rarely linear. Turning a bench-scale system into a functioning pilot introduces hidden costs, integration challenges, and design trade-offs that can quickly multiply.
We came in with a mission to deliver a realistic, defensible roadmap from lab bench to pilot plant without slowing the company’s momentum.
Our Role
Over the course of the project, we worked side-by-side with the client’s lead engineer to build out a complete Front-End Loading (FEL-1) package.
The work included:
Developing full process flow diagrams and P&IDs, translating the lab setup into a scalable process layout.
Creating mass and energy balances to define input/output streams and quantify scale-dependent costs.
Preparing equipment lists, layouts, and utility summaries for the pilot configuration.
Building a detailed plant cost estimate that linked capital and operating costs to key process parameters.
Holding rapid-cycle working sessions with the client’s technical team to vet assumptions and pressure-test scenarios in real time.
“Our job isn’t to sell a plant. It’s to help founders build the right thing at the right time—and sometimes that means building conviction before concrete”
Our engineers became an extension of the client’s team, joining daily calls and helping to refine the design concept. We leveraged knowledge of equipment vendors for the most cost effective solutions, and made sure everyone understood not just the numbers, but the story behind them.
After all, scaling deep-tech isn’t about handing off drawings; it’s about working in the trenches together. Our engineers didn’t just calculate costs—they co-created understanding. Every spreadsheet, sketch, and simulation was shared, questioned, and refined in real time with the client.
By week six, we delivered a complete costed design package ready for investor review. The results were eye-opening and helped the client make a better informed, reality-based decision that matched their current stage and funding level.
Our engineers didn’t just calculate costs—they co-created understanding.
Outcomes
This reality-based decision to pause on pilot progression gave the client a crystal-clear understanding of their cost drivers, technical bottlenecks, and realistic path forward – insights that can only come from a rigorous engineering process.
Armed with real data, the company was able to pivot to a leaner validation plan: shrinking the size of the pilot, locating closer to their headquarters and sourcing the feedstock differently. The result was a strategic redirection that preserved capital, extended runway, and kept investors aligned.
It’s easy to celebrate big construction photos; it’s harder, but equally important, to celebrate disciplined decision-making. In this case, clarity and collaboration saved millions.
We’re always learning from our clients as much as we hope they learn from us. It was rewarding to see a team take the information they had and make a strategic decision that paved the way for a sustainable future for the company.
Key Results & Takeaways
Early clarity is the most cost-effective form of engineering.
Collaboration accelerates truth-finding and shared understanding.
“Success” doesn’t always mean building something—it can mean knowing exactly when not to.
Could you use some more cost clarity in your scale up project? Let’s dive in!
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